and hes getting a planted tank setup. i will be putting some anubias, anacharis, and maybe some dwarf sagitarria in his tank. he will also be getting a piece of driftwood and these stones:

but i need help choosing a type and color of substrate to go with everything. ive considered black, but its not my favorite. also will the light on the hood that comes with the tank be sufficient for the plants?

The fish and plants will really pop with a black background and black substrate; I've seen it for myself. Fish will show their best colors over a darker substrate because it is most natural. Personally. I would go with white accent rocks and black sand substrate. The tan sands like play sand also make good substrates. Plants will do just fine with sand or small gravel. Large stones don't make a good substrate for plants like the dwarf sagittaria.